| Nicholas Green | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 9, 1987 California, United States |
| Died | October 1, 1994 (aged 7) Messina, Italy |
Nicholas Green (September 9, 1987 – October 1, 1994) was an American boy who was shot and killed in an attempted automobile robbery while vacationing with his family in Southern Italy. After he died, his parents chose to donate his organs. Five people received his major organs, and two received a cornea transplant.[1] The incident is credited with generating a significant increase in the rate of organ donation in Italy.[2]
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Nicholas Green, his sister, Eleanor, and their two parents, Margaret and Reginald, had been on holiday in Calabria Southern Italy. On the night of September 29, 1994 his parents were driving on the A3 motorway between Salerno and Reggio Calabria.[1][3] At some point, they stopped at an Autogrill, where it is believed that two men started following them. The men, wearing masks, pulled alongside the Greens' vehicle and shouted something in Italian, which the Greens did not understand. Reginald Green accelerated, at which point the men fired shots into the rear of the car. He accelerated a second time, and once again the men shot into the back of the car. After the pursuers gave up Reginald stopped the car, and at this point he and Margaret realised that Nicholas had been shot in the head.[3] They drove directly to the nearest town, but the hospital was not equipped to deal with Nicholas' injuries. The police took the family to Villa San Giovanni, where they transferred to a ferry which brought them across the Strait of Messina to the port of Messina. From there, the police took them to a specialist head injuries unit at a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead the next day.[4]
The family mourned their son's death. In May 1996 the Greens had twins, a girl (Laura) and a boy (Martin).
Following the shooting, Italian police arrested two men on November 2, 1994.[5] They were tried in Catanzaro by a court consisting of three judges, and on January 17, 1997 they were found not guilty. Reginald Green had been unable to identify them, as the shooters had both been wearing masks, and it was dark.[6][7] However, a year later, with no new evidence, an appellate court with a jury convicted the pair. This decision was upheld by Italy's supreme court in 1999.[7]
Following Nicholas' death, the donation rate increased dramatically in Italy, a country where organ transports were thought of as taboo.[2] Nicholas' name continues to be associated with organ donation. The result of his parents' decision is described as "The Nicholas Effect" (l'Effetto Nicholas) and refers not only to the organ donation issue but also to the goodwill that emerged from the tragedy.[6]
Reginald Green wrote a book about the events surrounding his son's death called The Nicholas Effect. A TV movie, Nicholas' Gift, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Alan Bates, was based upon the event.[8] Biannually since 2001, the World Transplant Games Federation has held the Nicholas Cup, a competition reserved for children who have undergone a transplant. It has been held in Switzerland in 2001, Bormio in Northern Italy in 2004, Poland in 2005, and Finland in 2008.[9]
Several schools, streets and squares in Italian cities have been named or renamed in honor of Nicholas Green.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]
The Children's Bell Tower is located in Bodega Bay, off of Route 1. GPS (N 38° 20.448 W 123° 03.126)